A Virtual Beer Library

The Brewer: a familiar treatise on the art of brewingAnonymous
1867

‘It is commonly supposed that Pale Ale and Bitter Beer of the finest quality cannot be brewed elsewhere than at Burton-on-Trent; but it will here be shown that with proper management, a minute attention to details, and the use of carefully-selected materials in the right proportions, it is within the power of any brewer, in whatever place his business may be carried on, to manufacture either of these popular malt-liquors of as good a quality in every respect as the renowned produce of Burton.’

‘I am induced to write this small work on Brewing, through having a long and varied experience, both in London an different parts of England; and having practised the various systems, I have formed my own conclusion as to the best method of brewing practically to produce a good sounds article, combined with good keeping qualities.’

Hop Leaf GazetteSimonds’ Brewery
1927-1961

Scanned and shared by Raymond Simonds, grandson of the last family chairman of H&G Simonds of Reading, these in-house magazines are a fantastic resource covering pubs, brewery technology and social goings on among the staff.

How to BrewJohn Palmer
1999 (1st edition)

How to Brew Good BeerJohn Pitt
1864

‘It is well known that there are comparatively few families in the habit of brewing their own beer, who have not often experience (and especially in summer) the disappointment and pecuniary loss consequent on their beer becoming cloudy, hard, or sour.’

The author was a household butler and brewer and the book contains many recipes adaptable by modern home brewers.

The Theory and Practice of BrewingWilliam Tizard
1843

First published in 1843 this comprehensive practical guidebook offers a window into mid-19th century brewing practice, though it requires critical reading. Ron Pattinson says it is ‘full of both useful information and amusement’.

On Beer: A Statistical SketchMax Vogel 1874

More interesting than it sounds, this short book by a Nuremberger includes notes on the beer styles of various German-speaking kingdoms, Britain, Norway, Sweden and Russia, as well as facts and figures on consumption and manufacturing.

Journal of the Institute of Brewing 1890-present

The archive hosted by Wiley isn’t especially easy to navigate, and the search function can be frustrating, but 125 years’-worth of technical writing on brewing is a real treasure trove.

CAMRA Branch Newsletters
1970s-present

Newsletters published by branches of the Campaign for Real Ale throughout the real ale revolution of the 1970s, the microbrewery boom and bust of the 1980s, the rise of ‘craft’ in the 00s, and at every step in-between. (We’ve highlighted here only archives with pre-1980 issues available; there are many other branches with archives online.)

East London & City Beer Guide
Campaign for Real Ale

These books contain details of hundreds of pubs across East London and chart change over the course of three decades. They’ve been translated to web format rather than scanned as PDFs so the layout and design can be a bit distracting.

London & Suburban Licensed Victuallers Directory
1874

This list is not intended to be comprehensive but we do intend to keep adding to it. If there’s a book, magazine or newsletter collection that is freely available and that you think ought to be included, let us know by emailing contact@boakandbailey.com